The Electricity Consumers’ Association yesterday charged that the government was planning to raise electricity tariffs by 20 percent.
“We strongly oppose this move,” Association’s Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika told a media briefing in Colombo yesterday.
Dhammika said that the proposed restructuring of the CEB had been first introduced by Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera in 2023, and later debated in Parliament in 2024. At the time, NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Ranil Wickremesinghe had described the Bill as regressive and anti-people, with Dissanayake himself pledging to introduce fresh legislation if elected. “But now the NPP government is pushing through that very anti-people Bill,” he said, noting that under the restructuring plan, the CEB would be split into four profit-driven companies, at the expense of the present cost-based system. The Public Utilities Commission would also be stripped of its regulatory powers, leaving consumers without a mechanism to lodge complaints. “Electricity tariffs will be fixed at the discretion of the Minister and the Finance Ministry, not in the interests of consumers. That is why we oppose this,” Dhammika said.
The Electricity Consumers’ Association declared its support for trade union action by CEB workers against the move, and vowed resistance to any tariff hike. “We will not pay the increased bills. The government must withdraw this plan immediately. If not, we will launch countrywide protests. The first demonstration will begin next Wednesday (Sept 10) at Maradana,” Dhammika said.
By Anuradha Hiripitiyage 